Rodent Causes Power Outage at ASU

Authorities say a rat ran across some equipment that supplies power to the area, causing some switches to burn out at Arizona State University's Tempe campus on Monday, myfoxphoenix,com reports.

|
April 13, 2011

TEMPE - Authorities say a rat ran across some equipment that supplies power to the area, causing some switches to burn out at Arizona State University's Tempe campus on Monday, myfoxphoenix,com reports.

The power wass out from Apache Blvd to University, and from Cady Mall west to Mill Ave.

Some students were stuck in an elevator when the power went out. Others were in class.

"I was down there when the power went out and I sat and waited for a while... three and a half hours later here we are," says graduate student Tony Jackson, who uses a wheelchair.

He had to be hoisted up the stairs by Tempe firefighters. But fortunately, he has a sense of humor about it. "Very powerful rat it was. Yielding great power," he chuckles.

Some professors canceled classes, while others chose to hold them outside.

The company said its fourth-quarter earnings rose 17%. Ecolab CEO Doug Baker said the company’s U.S. pest business “has been steadily improving” due to a number of investments in that business starting two years ago.